South Carolina Version 2.0

[skip-zip]

I would like someone that "knows" X's and O's explain to me why SC can run simple pick and rolls, and base line screens and get excellent looks at the hoop, but we can't. We spread the floor and stand around, when that doesn't work, we dribble out of control into the lane and kick it out no matter what..thus all the turnovers. This is Div I offense? I continue to be baffled by the lack of offensive game planning. Even the announcers question why one teams players without the ball cut to the hoop, and one team (Akron) doesn't.

If you're talking about the last few games specifically, those teams had the athletic ability to get into those potential passing lanes. I've always believed that this has a lot to do with why major upsets in basketball, at any level, are so often a result of teams simply getting hot with the long range jumpers.

[K92]

When KD talks to his players, especially some of the "stars", they are sometimes dismissive of him. It's horrible body language and sends and even worse message to the young players. After several years, players get tired of the same message delivered by the same guy; however, they have to show leadership and not show to the younger guys they are tired of the same message delivered by the same guy. Leadership is more than just how you play. Leadership is how you play, how you carry yourself, how you treat others including the coach, your compliance with instruction, how you react to adversity, etc. If I was KD, I would have some closed door discussions with some of my "stars" and convey this exact message individually.

Zip players "tuning out" when addressed by KD is not a new phenomenon and has been bothering me for quite some time. However, I think the body language has definitely plunged to new depths this season. Troubling.

I hope KD can circle the wagons quickly. It looks like the wheels are about ready to come off.

[GP1]

I hope KD can circle the wagons quickly. It looks like the wheels are about ready to come off.

I always talk on the football forum about confidence and momentum. The Zips need a boost of both quickly. Their confidence has to be at a low point after losing to a below average SEC team two games in a row and getting destroyed in one of them. There is also zero momentum at this point.

Will Coppin State give them enough momentum to provide a boost going into the marshall game and then the mac? Hard to tell. Marshall will be in interesting game. Marshall has beaten nobody and will be playing SC tomorrow before coming to Akron. Akron and Marshall are a lot alike and this game could be a teal telltale for the rest of the season.

[GP1]

Zip players "tuning out" when addressed by KD is not a new phenomenon and has been bothering me for quite some time.

"tuning out"? Maybe. I used the word "dismissive" for a reason. Some of them are almost openly defiant at this point the the worst cases are those with the biggest leadership roles.

Teams rot from within and this needs to stop regardless of what we call it.

[VAZip]

Having only followed the Zips for 3 seasons now, I don't have a very deep well of knowledge or respect of anything that has happened in the past. In some ways that makes me more like the average viewer of Saturday afternoon basketball on ESPN. I asked myself this morning, if large amounts of my money didn't go to out of state tuition, would I choose to watch the Zips like I do when Butler or VCU play? Have to say...probably not. I must admit that I'm not a fan of KD, not only do I not understand his offensive strategies...I find him a little disconnected and quirky. I thought it was my basketball IQ that didn't allow me to see what we do offensively...but then I here the announcer in the first SC game say everything I thought. "No flow", " no cuts", "think they would have learned from the Boise State game how to do it", "they try to start the offense 30 feet from the basket". This sounds like a coaching issue! Have to say...the one thing he has mastered is rotating players in and out, hot or not! Sorry, don't mean to bash anyone, just feel a little unsatisfied. I do get very excited to get the opportunity to watch the Zips on Tv (see every other game on the less then great video feed) but more often then not, we get blown out. Still looking forward to the rest of the year..Go Zips!

P.S.......how does E Michigan get Duke and Syracuse in the same season and we are thrilled to get M TN?

[GP1]

Having only followed the Zips for 3 seasons now, I don't have a very deep well of knowledge or respect of anything that has happened in the past. In some ways that makes me more like the average viewer of Saturday afternoon basketball on ESPN. I asked myself this morning, if large amounts of my money didn't go to out of state tuition, would I choose to watch the Zips like I do when Butler or VCU play? Have to say...probably not. I must admit that I'm not a fan of KD, not only do I not understand his offensive strategies...I find him a little disconnected and quirky. I thought it was my basketball IQ that didn't allow me to see what we do offensively...but then I here the announcer in the first SC game say everything I thought. "No flow", " no cuts", "think they would have learned from the Boise State game how to do it", "they try to start the offense 30 feet from the basket". This sounds like a coaching issue! Have to say...the one thing he has mastered is rotating players in and out, hot or not! Sorry, don't mean to bash anyone, just feel a little unsatisfied. I do get very excited to get the opportunity to watch the Zips on Tv (see every other game on the less then great video feed) but more often then not, we get blown out. Still looking forward to the rest of the year..Go Zips!

Nice, sincere post and I think it comes from the right place. Thanks for posting it.

My opinion of KD is not as down as yours, but certainly not as glowing as is posted on this board. I think KD is a DII coach with DII ideas who has surrounded himself with people mostly having smaller ideas and experience. We saw a real DI coach last night in Frank Martin coach circles around KD and he isn't exactly John Wooden. That doesn't make KD a bad MAC coach though. Those ideas can win in the MAC and that is what he has done. For most fans and more importantly the powers that be in the Administration, that is sufficient to justify being the highest paid coach in the Athletic Department and to have a contracted extended out 10 years. The former is deserved, the second is idiocy.

I see the helter skelter substitutions the same as you. Many on this board see it as a method of "figuring out his rotation for MAC season" and I see it frequently as grasping at straws and directionless. For example, why at the first stoppage of play are three substitutes brought into the game last night? Three tells me the wrong guys started the game. Why is Diggs not starting and being brought off the bench?...Is he our Kevin McHale?...Good grief, start the freaking guy because he is at least working hard when he is in and has some ability.

If your opinion is the same as mine, you will continue to feel unsatisfied as Akron marches through a horrible conference and easily ends up in at least the MAC Championship. There is a very good chance that despite what you saw the last couple of games, Akron will be in the NCAA Tournament this year. You will find some enjoyment in it, but in the back of your mind, you know what lies behind the facade of 20 win seasons.

At the end of the day, the reality on the ground is this. We have an idiot for an AD who could never be trusted to hire a basketball coach if KD left so he keeps throwing years of contract extensions at KD, who nobody would want outside of Akron, to make it look like he is doing something. People like me trust KD more with the basketball program than the AD, so we back KD because of the disaster that would follow.

[Dave in Green]

If you're talking about the last few games specifically, those teams had the athletic ability to get into those potential passing lanes. I've always believed that this has a lot to do with why major upsets in basketball, at any level, are so often a result of teams simply getting hot with the long range jumpers.

I agree with you. Good athletes with good speed and quick reflexes plus a high-level coach who's taught them what to anticipate and how to react can make the Zips look lost on both the defensive and offensive ends. South Carolina's players were able to easily separate themselves from Zips defenders for easy buckets, and on offense the Zips couldn't break free for open shots because the South Carolina defenders reacted so quickly. Speed and quickness in basketball have become increasingly more important in recent years, and the new rules on hand checking are only magnifying that. Steady players with average speed are becoming more of an endangered species regardless of their other attributes. I'm not an X's and O's guy, but HS Stripes is. I'd be interested in seeing how he analyzes this from a more technical view.

The TV announcers brought up a couple of points that haven't been mentioned here. First, they said that consistency is the most difficult thing to achieve in college basketball, and that made the Zips' record of 7 consecutive seasons with 22 or more victories a remarkable achievement. The other really important point they made is that this was accomplished with limited resources. The announcers understood that UA's investment in the basketball program, from coaching salaries to facilities and everything in between, is probably less than almost any program in the country that has been more successful than the Zips in the Coach Dambrot era. That's a point that needs to be acknowledged when asking why the program can't take the next step.

[akronzips71]

KD is a D1 coach. He was won a lot of games.

The fact that most of the wins are against MAC teams does not take away from that. MAC teams have made runs in the Dance.

That being said, the willy nilly substitutions need to stop. Pick out the best 5 guys and play them.

[Zipmeister]

"tuning out"? Maybe. I used the word "dismissive" for a reason. Some of them are almost openly defiant at this point the the worst cases are those with the biggest leadership roles.

Teams rot from within and this needs to stop regardless of what we call it.

In another thread one of our younger posters pointed out how much better the academic situation at Akron is now compared to the pathetic condition it was in when many of you and I were students there. I was skeptical of his assertion, but will be the first to admit the situation at hand provides evidence of an impressive learning environment. Back when I attended, there was no way guys who weren't smart enough to be academically eligible to participate in sports their first year would be smarter than the coach in only two years.

[skip-zip]

I agree with you. Good athletes with good speed and quick reflexes plus a high-level coach who's taught them what to anticipate and how to react can make the Zips look lost on both the defensive and offensive ends. South Carolina's players were able to easily separate themselves from Zips defenders for easy buckets, and on offense the Zips couldn't break free for open shots because the South Carolina defenders reacted so quickly. Speed and quickness in basketball have become increasingly more important in recent years, and the new rules on hand checking are only magnifying that. Steady players with average speed are becoming more of an endangered species regardless of their other attributes. I'm not an X's and O's guy, but HS Stripes is. I'd be interested in seeing how he analyzes this from a more technical view.

The TV announcers brought up a couple of points that haven't been mentioned here. First, they said that consistency is the most difficult thing to achieve in college basketball, and that made the Zips' record of 7 consecutive seasons with 22 or more victories a remarkable achievement. The other really important point they made is that this was accomplished with limited resources. The announcers understood that UA's investment in the basketball program, from coaching salaries to facilities and everything in between, is probably less than almost any program in the country that has been more successful than the Zips in the Coach Dambrot era. That's a point that needs to be acknowledged when asking why the program can't take the next step.

Good point. And very timely. See today's Beacon Journal for some additional insight on the current status of those facilities.

[a-zip]

Nice, sincere post and I think it comes from the right place. Thanks for posting it.

My opinion of KD is not as down as yours, but certainly not as glowing as is posted on this board. I think KD is a DII coach with DII ideas who has surrounded himself with people mostly having smaller ideas and experience. We saw a real DI coach last night in Frank Martin coach circles around KD and he isn't exactly John Wooden. That doesn't make KD a bad MAC coach though. Those ideas can win in the MAC and that is what he has done. For most fans and more importantly the powers that be in the Administration, that is sufficient to justify being the highest paid coach in the Athletic Department and to have a contracted extended out 10 years. The former is deserved, the second is idiocy.

Unreal, we are one of the top winning programs in the last 5 years. KD is a DII coach and surrounded himself with people having smaller ideas and experience????? Yea, I guess Shaka fits that mold......and Lebron and the best recruit the MAC has ever seen, Zeke. What do you expect GP1, do you think people are lining up to come to Akron?

I see the helter skelter substitutions the same as you. Many on this board see it as a method of "figuring out his rotation for MAC season" and I see it frequently as grasping at straws and directionless. For example, why at the first stoppage of play are three substitutes brought into the game last night? Three tells me the wrong guys started the game. Why is Diggs not starting and being brought off the bench?...Is he our Kevin McHale?...Good grief, start the freaking guy because he is at least working hard when he is in and has some ability.

If your opinion is the same as mine, you will continue to feel unsatisfied as Akron marches through a horrible conference and easily ends up in at least the MAC Championship. There is a very good chance that despite what you saw the last couple of games, Akron will be in the NCAA Tournament this year. You will find some enjoyment in it, but in the back of your mind, you know what lies behind the facade of 20 win seasons.

So you are unhappy with our teams success and progress? We are winning our conference consistently and beating our rivals. Let me clue you in, if a top recruit comes here, it is because of KD, not the shiny arena and hordes of fans coming to see him play.

At the end of the day, the reality on the ground is this. We have an idiot for an AD who could never be trusted to hire a basketball coach if KD left so he keeps throwing years of contract extensions at KD, who nobody would want outside of Akron, to make it look like he is doing something. People like me trust KD more with the basketball program than the AD, so we back KD because of the disaster that would follow.

Wow! Best basketball coach we have ever had is locked up for 10 years and the AD is an idiot???? i guess he is an idiot for extending a football coach with a losing record too

[Dave in Green]

... I think KD is a DII coach with DII ideas who has surrounded himself with people mostly having smaller ideas and experience. ...

Great example of what Tree was tweeting about.

[Zipgrad01]

Great example of what Tree was tweeting about.

Which tweet?

[UA1987]

The substituting is most probably a teaching move intended to motivate players to play what was being taught in practice. If you mess up then you hit the bench. It's easy for some far off announcer to bash the Zips - we all know that, but when Zips fans start to bash KD it's nothing more than a knee jerk reaction. Some of these fan's want to win the big games so bad it's frustrating and others just want to try to sound smart. It's healthy to say you want to win the big games and try to figure out why we are having trouble, but to throw trash at our coach is weak.

[Dr Z]

The substituting is most probably a teaching move intended to motivate players to play what was being taught in practice. If you mess up then you hit the bench. It's easy for some far off announcer to bash the Zips - we all know that, but when Zips fans start to bash KD it's nothing more than a knee jerk reaction.

Knee jerk? Posters on here have been questioning KD's substitutions for a decade. That's not knee jerk. BTW, I'm pretty sure it's not "teaching", KD has a history of using a longer bench than others.

Marshall, whom Akron plays Thursday, is playing South Carolina today at 7 pm if Zip fans are up for some scouting.

[skip-zip]

The substituting is most probably a teaching move intended to motivate players to play what was being taught in practice.

Incorrect. He doesn't just sub out the guys who did something wrong. Where have you been?

[UA1987]

Incorrect. He doesn't just sub out the guys who did something wrong. Where have you been?

So you know more than Dambrot? Please, save the rope for coaches that deserve it.

[skip-zip]

So you know more than Dambrot? Please, save the rope for coaches that deserve it.

What?

I'm informing you that his frequency of substitution is not just when someone is playing poorly.

[UA1987]

Knee jerk? Posters on here have been questioning KD's substitutions for a decade. That's not knee jerk. BTW, I'm pretty sure it's not "teaching", KD has a history of using a longer bench than others.

Marshall, whom Akron plays Thursday, is playing South Carolina today at 7 pm if Zip fans are up for some scouting.

I've always thought Dambrot's bench substitutions were a strength of his teams. What I see on this board is a lot of negative coach comments after this one game (South Carolina 2.0), when Dambrot has been the best thing for Akron basketball in a long time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akron_Zips_men's_basketball

[MaxZIP]

Dambrot equals stability. Team attitude is lacking right now and the finger is pointing in two directions. Abreu would have been a good senior leader and motivator. That sounds strange given the way things turned out. Dambrot plays chess years in advance with his player recruiting and team dynamics. I love that he rarely brings in juco players but unforseen situatiins ala 5 pound fridays can leave the team missing

key components. We need a point guard and a senior leader...kd had him.

[UA1987]

Dambrot equals stability. Team attitude is lacking right now and the finger is pointing in two directions. Abreu would have been a good senior leader and motivator. That sounds strange given the way things turned out. Dambrot plays chess years in advance with his player recruiting and team dynamics. I love that he rarely brings in juco players but unforseen situatiins ala 5 pound fridays can leave the team missing

key components. We need a point guard and a senior leader...kd had him.

You nailed it

[Hilltopper]

Dambrot equals stability. Team attitude is lacking right now and the finger is pointing in two directions. Abreu would have been a good senior leader and motivator. That sounds strange given the way things turned out. Dambrot plays chess years in advance with his player recruiting and team dynamics. I love that he rarely brings in juco players but unforseen situatiins ala 5 pound fridays can leave the team missing

key components. We need a point guard and a senior leader...kd had him.

Bingo!

[tomzip]

Bingo!

So back at work today and the discussion after the Browns disaster was again on the ability for this regime to take this basketball team to the next level. My co-worker made an interesting observation about the Hudson kid at St. V who is going to Va Tech, "that is the kind of talent we need to stay home and play for KD." If you guys have seen him play, he is quite talented, but he is going to Va Tech, not the basketball powerhouse IMO. If we were at the next level, does that improve our chances to land a local talent? A side question, don't we have a connection to St. V

[Dave in Green]

Nobody believes that Keith Dambrot is the best college basketball coach in America -- not himself, his wife, his children or even his dog. A lot of people, including me, believe that he's the best college basketball coach for UA. Any coach as good or better than Coach Dambrot but without connections and loyalty to UA would be gone to a higher-paying school the minute the Zips had a successful season or two. A string of coaches would likely produce more who are worse than Coach Dambrot than better, given the level of resources UA allocates to the program.

Nope, the only way the Zips get 7 consecutive 22+ win seasons and 7 consecutive trips to the conference championship game is with Coach Dambrot. If it was easy, a lot of coaches would replicate that. Try making a list of all the D1 coaches in the country who've done it, then give them a call and see if any would be willing to come to UA and sit in Coach Dambrot's plush office at the JAR for the same salary. Is it worth playing musical chairs with coaches for a chance at one who might possibly lead the Zips past the first round of the NCAA tournament one season only to move on to a better job offer with the possibility that his replacement puts the Zips in the MAC cellar?

Is it fair to criticize Coach Dambrot for things we perceive he could do better? Heck yes. The only thing not open to criticism is perfection, which means that everything is open to criticism. But there's a huge difference between educated, constructive criticism and sour grapes potshotting. An honest discussion requires that each of us acknowledges that we are fans and not great experts on all the technical intricacies of college basketball. We also must acknowledge that we don't have access to all the facts about individual members of the coaching staff and the players. At that point we can begin having a reasonable and respectful discussion about what we think might be happening and what we think might be ways to improve things.

[a-zip]

Nobody believes that Keith Dambrot is the best college basketball coach in America -- not himself, his wife, his children or even his dog. A lot of people, including me, believe that he's the best college basketball coach for UA. Any coach as good or better than Coach Dambrot but without connections and loyalty to UA would be gone to a higher-paying school the minute the Zips had a successful season or two. A string of coaches would likely produce more who are worse than Coach Dambrot than better, given the level of resources UA allocates to the program.

Nope, the only way the Zips get 7 consecutive 22+ win seasons and 7 consecutive trips to the conference championship game is with Coach Dambrot. If it was easy, a lot of coaches would replicate that. Try making a list of all the D1 coaches in the country who've done it, then give them a call and see if any would be willing to come to UA and sit in Coach Dambrot's plush office at the JAR for the same salary. Is it worth playing musical chairs with coaches for a chance at one who might possibly lead the Zips past the first round of the NCAA tournament one season only to move on to a better job offer with the possibility that his replacement puts the Zips in the MAC cellar?

Is it fair to criticize Coach Dambrot for things we perceive he could do better? Heck yes. The only thing not open to criticism is perfection, which means that everything is open to criticism. But there's a huge difference between educated, constructive criticism and sour grapes potshotting. An honest discussion requires that each of us acknowledges that we are fans and not great experts on all the technical intricacies of college basketball. We also must acknowledge that we don't have access to all the facts about individual members of the coaching staff and the players. At that point we can begin having a reasonable and respectful discussion about what we think might be happening and what we think might be ways to improve things.